The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin terms that are typically translated as “mercy” (or “compassion” or “kindness”) in English are translated in various ways. Bratcher / Nida classify them in (1) those based on the quality of heart, or other psychological center, (2) those which introduce the concept of weeping or extreme sorrow, (3) those which involve willingness to look upon and recognize the condition of others, or (4) those which involve a variety of intense feelings.
While the Englishmercy originates from the Latinmerces, originally “price paid,” Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Corsican, Catalan) and other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Danish — Barmherzigkeit, barmhärtighet and barmhjertighed, respectively) tend to follow the Latin misericordia, lit. “misery-heart.”
The Hebrew that is translated as “steadfast love,” “lovingkindness” or similar in English is translated in Vidunda as “love of enduring.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
In Bura-Pabir it is translated as hyirkur na a palidzi wa or “love which cannot be-changed” and in the HausaCommon Language Bible as kaunarsa marar canjawa or “his love without changing.” (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
In Pijintinghevi long or “think heavy about” is used. “The Pijin expression ‘think heavy about’ is very much within the domain of committed relationships. The relationship between father and child, husband and wife, God and His people. There is a very strong element of ‘loyalty’ in this expression.” (Source: Bob Carter)
God transcends gender, but most languages are limited to grammatical gender expressed in pronouns. In the case of English, this is traditionally confined to “he” (or in the forms “his,” “him,” and “himself”), “she” (and “her,” “hers,” and “herself”), and “it” (and “its” and “itself”).
Modern Mandarin Chinese, however, offers another possibility. Here, the third-person singular pronoun is always pronounced the same (tā), but it is written differently according to its gender (他 is “he,” 她 is “she,” and 它/牠 is “it” and their respective derivative forms). In each of these characters, the first (or upper) part defines the gender (man, woman, or thing/animal), while the second element gives the clue to its pronunciation.
In 1930, after a full century with dozens of Chinese translations, Bible translator Wang Yuande (王元德) coined a new “godly” pronoun: 祂. Chinese readers immediately knew how to pronounce it: tā. But they also recognized that the first part of that character, signifying something spiritual, clarified that each person of the Trinity has no gender aside from being God.
While the most important Protestant and Catholic Chinese versions respectively have opted not to use 祂, some Bible translations do and it is widely used in hymnals and other Christian materials. Among the translations that use 祂 to refer to “God” were early versions of Lü Zhenzhong’s (呂振中) version (New Testament: 1946, complete Bible: 1970). R.P. Kramers (in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 152ff.) explains why later versions of Lü’s translation did not continue with this practice: “This new way of writing ‘He,’ however, has created a minor problem of its own: must this polite form be used whenever Jesus is referred to? Lü follows the rule that, wherever Jesus is referred to as a human being, the normal ta (他) is written; where he is referred to as divine, especially after the ascension, the reverential ta (祂) is used.”
In that system one kind of pronoun is used for humans (male and female alike) and one for natural elements, non-liquid masses, and some spiritual entities (one other is used for large animals and another one for miscellaneous items). While in these languages the pronoun for spiritual entities used to be employed when referring to God, this has changed into the use of the human pronoun.
Lynell Zogbo (in The Bible Translator 1989, p. 401ff) explains in the following way: “From informal discussions with young Christians especially, it would appear that, at least for some people, the experience and/or concepts of Christianity are affecting the choice of pronoun for God. Some people explain that God is no longer ‘far away,’ but is somehow tangible and personal. For these speakers God has shifted over into the human category.”
In Kouya, God (the Father) and Jesus are referred to with the human pronoun ɔ, whereas the Holy Spirit is referred to with a non-human pronoun. (Northern Grebo and Western Krahn make a similar distinction.)
Eddie Arthur, a former Kouya Bible translation consultant, says the following: “We tried to insist that this shouldn’t happen, but the Kouya team members were insistent that the human pronoun for the Spirit would not work.”
In Burmese, the pronoun ko taw (ကိုယ်တော်) is used either as 2nd person (you) or 3rd person (he, him, his) reference. “This term clearly has its root in the religious language in Burmese. No ordinary persons are addressed or known by this pronoun because it is reserved for Buddhist monks, famous religious teachers, and in the case of Christianity, the Trinity.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 202ff.)
In Thai, the pronoun phra`ong (พระองค์) is used, a gender-neutral pronoun which must refer to a previously introduced royal or divine being. Similarly, in Northern Khmer, which is spoken in Thailand, “an honorific divine pronoun” is used for the pronoun referring to the persons of the Trinity (source: David Thomas in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 445). In Urak Lawoi’, another language spoken in Thailand, the translation often uses tuhat (ตูฮัด) — “God” — ”as a divine pronoun where Thai has phra’ong even though it’s actually a noun.” (Source for Thai and Urak Lawoi’: Stephen Pattemore)
The English “Contemporary Torah” addresses the question of God and gendered pronouns by mostly avoiding pronouns in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (unless God is referred to as “lord,” “father,” “king,” or “warrior”). It does that by either using passive constructs (“He gave us” vs. “we were given”), by using the adjective “divine” or by using “God” rather than a pronoun.
Some Protestant English Bibles use a referential capitalized spelling when referring to the persons of the Trinity with “He,” “His,” “Him,” or “Himself.” This includes for instance the New American Standard Bible, but most translations, especially those published in the 21st century, do not. Two other languages where this is also done (in most Bible translations) are the closely related Indonesian and Malay. In both languages this follows the language usage according to the Qur’an, which in turn predicts that usage (see Soesilo in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 442ff. and The Bible Translator 1997, p. 433ff. ).
Revised Standard Version, following the Hebrew, begins each verse from verse 4 to verse 17 with to him, with the implied O give thanks carrying over from verse 3. This may be effective in other languages, but in some it may be difficult for the reader. Others have “who” (see New Jerusalem Bible), without a break in the sentence. New International Version displays the antiphonal character of the psalm by printing “His love endures forever” in italics.
In this strophe Yahweh’s power as Creator of the universe is praised: great wonders (verse 4) summarizes all his wonderful works (see comments on “wonderful deeds” in 9.1). Most translate either “great marvels” or “great wonders”; usually the word refers to Yahweh’s marvelous deeds in rescuing his people from Egypt and leading them to Canaan. Here it refers to creation: the heavens (verse 5), the earth (verse 6), the great lights, the sun, the moon and stars (verses 7-9). The psalm follows the order and language of Genesis 1.1-19.
It should be noted than in verse 4 Bible de Jérusalem and New Jerusalem Bible, on the authority of the Qumran manuscript (and the Septuagint), omit “great,” which omission Anderson endorses (see also Dahood). The Hebrew Old Testament Text Project committee was divided on this: half approved the omission, regarding the Masoretic text as an expansion (which ruins the meter); the other half of the committee preferred the Masoretic text. It is possible that in many languages the translation will be the same in either case.
Who alone in verse 4 is to be taken in the sense “only he, and no one else,” not in the sense “by himself.”
The idea of Yahweh’s understanding (or “wisdom”) in creation (verse 5) is expressed also in 104.24; see also Proverbs 8.27-30. By understanding and Good News Translation‘s “By his wisdom” may be considered the instrumental or expressive function of God’s wisdom. In some languages this may have to be shifted to a causal relation; for example, “Because God is wise he could make the heavens,” or “God is wise, therefore he made the heavens,” or “God showed his wisdom when he made the heavens.”
In verse 6 the creation of the earth is described by the use of the verb “to spread out”; the picture is that of the earth as a solid layer that was spread out upon the waters, that is, on the watery abyss which Yahweh conquered at creation (see 24.2); the same verb is used in Isaiah 42.5; 44.24.
In verse 7 the great lights (see Gen 1.16) are the sun, which here is portrayed as ruler of the day (verse 8), and the moon, ruler of the night (verse 9). The psalmist also includes the stars, although in the Genesis account they are not spoken of as rulers over the night (see Gen 1.16). Nearly all the translations consulted use the verb “to rule” or “to govern”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy and BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum, however, use the verb “to illuminate, light up.” Because of the interruption of sequence caused by the refrain, it may be necessary in such verses as 8 and 9 to repeat the verb “made” from verse 7. In languages in which it may not be possible to speak of the sun “ruling,” the translator may have to say, for example, “he made the sun to be the great one during the day.” And in verse 9 “He made the moon and the stars to be the great ones at night.” Alternatively, the translator may have to say “God made the sun to shine during the day,” and in verse 9, “… the moon and stars to shine in the night.”
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .